Column: Stress Awareness Month, Data Privacy
[Written by Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Bermuda]
Stress Awareness Month And Data Privacy
Since 1992, Stress Awareness Month has been observed annually in April to raise awareness of the causes and cures of the modern-day stress epidemic, to educate the public about the effects of stress on physical and mental health; and to promote effective stress management strategies.
Stress Awareness Month is the time to talk about stress, to open up about how it impacts our mental, emotional, even physical health, ranging from insomnia, indigestion, heart disease, and immune system issues to more serious mental health issues and disorders such as anxiety and depression; and to educate people about the importance of recognising and managing stress in their personal and work lives.
What is stress?
There is no one definition of stress: although everyone experiences stress, individually, we may experience it in very different ways. The most common explanation of stress is a physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension. Stress is a reaction to a situation where a person feels anxious or threatened. Learning healthy ways to cope and getting the proper care and support can help reduce stressful feelings and symptoms.
What is data privacy?
Data privacy refers to the protection of an individual’s personal information, including sensitive personal information such as race, gender, sexuality, health, financial information, etc., from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Privacy is the right of an individual to be left alone and in control of information about oneself. It is a fundamental human right that helps to protect individuals’ well-being through safeguarding their identities and other sensitive information from misuse. In addition to the protections in Bermuda’s partially enacted Personal Information Protection Act [PIPA] 2016, the right to privacy or private life is enshrined in the Council of Europe’s Convention 108, the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights [Article 12], the European Convention of Human Rights [Article 8] and other international human rights standards.
Stress awareness and data privacy are related!
Stress awareness and data privacy may seem unrelated, but they are actually quite important to each other. In today’s digital age, people are increasingly reliant on technology and online applications to manage their lives, including their health, well-being, and wellness. This means that personal information, including sensitive health information, is often stored online and/or in digital health records. This can pose a risk to individuals’ privacy and security.
Stress awareness and data privacy are both important topics that are relevant to individuals’ overall health and well-being. Promoting awareness of both topics and taking steps to protect individuals’ personal information can help people manage their stress more effectively while also ensuring their privacy.
Privacy policies can help
To promote stress awareness and effective stress management, it is important to ensure that individuals feel comfortable talking about managing stress and seeking help and support without fear of their personal information being compromised. At an organizational level, this can be achieved by implementing strong data privacy policies and procedures to safeguard individuals’ personal information.
If you require support from PrivCom before the full enactment of PIPA, call us on 543-7748, email us on engagement@privacy.bm or book a consultation with us.
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